It's begining to feel a little like Christmas

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PERRY TOWNSHIP — Bill Miller had big plans for game day, a couple beers, a few chicken wings and the hopes of an Ohio State victory. But warm weather and a determined wife put those plans on hold.

Midway through the second quarter of Saturday’s OSU-Michigan game, Miller was on his fifth trip up the ladder to do battle with a half-dozen strands of Christmas lights that refused to stay lit.

“It’s do it now in the sun or do it next month in the snow. I’m not saying I want to do it, but I guess its time to start thinking about Christmas,” Miller said.

With Thanksgiving and the subsequent Black Friday less than a week away, people across the region moved to get a jump on the season. For Miller, that meant taking advantage of the unseasonably sunny day to hang Christmas lights. For others, it was a trip to the Allen County Fairgrounds for the annual Christmas Craft show.

Jan Deavers spent the better part of Saturday afternoon at the fairgrounds in search of ideas for her own Christmas crafts. After scouring table after table of folk art Santas and snowmen, she eventually concluded it was better to buy than conceive.

“I was just planning to get some ideas and make stuff on my own. But most of this stuff isn’t really expensive. By the time I buy all the ingredients I’ll have more into it than if I just bought it,” Deaver said.

Of course, that meant going back on her last words to her husband as she left that house that morning. Deaver made a promise to look and not buy. Already she had about $40 worth of wooden reindeer and ornaments, but she figures he will embrace the purchases when he considers the alternative.

“I’ll tell him if he doesn’t want me buying things he should just come with me next time. He hates shopping, Hates it,” Deaver said.

Not everyone took the easy way out. Laurie Dunn and her 10-year-old son Tim joined a group at the Johnny Appleseed Metropolitan Park offices on Saturday for a Christmas ornament pottery workshop. Participants made and decorated angels and snowmen for the holidays. It marked the first Christmas activity of the year for Dunn.

“I still have Thanksgiving decorations up. Actually, Halloween just got taken down,” Dunn said.

The mother and son attended a pottery class at the park offices last summer and enjoyed it enough to return Saturday. Laurie made an angel, Tim crafted a snowman he named Bob.

“He’s had a really good time. This is a nice way to sort of get away from the materialism I think,” Dunn said.